Refrigerated spigot



June 14, 1938.

T. G. McCLANAHAN 2,120,460

REFRIGERATED SPIGOT Filed Aug. 28, 1936 .111 in .n 711/ INVENTOR. 7'110444.: 6 Many/u A TTORNEYS.

Patented June 14, 1938 PATENT OFFICE 2,120,460 REFRIGERATED SPIGOT;

, Thomas G. McClanahan, Seattle, Wash, assignor to Milton RoummApplication {August '28, 1936, Serial. Noll 983329 3 Claims. (01: sea-)This. invention relates toimprovements; in liq-1 uid dispensing devicesandmore particularly to.

faucets, taps, spigots and" the like, as employed for. .the dispensing.of' colddrinks; itbeing the principal object of this invention toprovide meansin connection with such devices for keeping them in achilled or cooled condition, and also for keeping the liquid in thepipe. connection opening into. the tap or faucet in a satisfactorily.cold condition.

Explanatory to the invention, it will be stated here-ethatg inatheusualcold .drink dispensing equipment, there is no cooling meansdirectly associated with the tap, or with the pipe connection openingthereto, regardless of the fact that the container for the supply ofliquid to be dispensed is invariably kept in a refrigerated condition.Therefore, if there is any appreciable lapse of time between the uses ofthe dispensing equipment, the first liquid to be dispensed will bewarmed from contact with the pipe connection and tap, and will thereforenot be satisfactory as a drink. This is especially the case when theequipment stands over night without use, and it is customary, especiallyin the dispensing of beer to throw away that first drawn off.

In view of the above, it has been an object of this invention to providea tap having a refrigerating means directly associated therewith forcooling the tap and that portion of the pipe connection immediatelyadjacent thereto.

More specifically stated, the invention resides in the provision of arefrigerated drum about the pipe connection adjacent the tap, and toprovide the drum with air ports controlled by a damper which isadjustable to control frosting of the cooling coils to any extentdesired.

Other objects of the invention reside in the details of construction andcombination of parts and use of the device as will hereinafter bedescribed.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I haveprovided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms ofwhich are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, where- Fig. 1 is aside view of a dispensing tap equipped with refrigerated means embodiedby the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1, showing theair ports in the drum.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the cooling drum as seen on the line33 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail of the damper adjustment.

Referring more in detail to the drawing I; designates what may be anyofthe usual types'of liquid dispensing taps, faucets orspigots, whichconnected through: the mediacy of. a section of threaded pipe .2 withvasource of supply of liquid to bedispensed, not here shown. The pipe,as here illustrated, is threaded at one end into the housing of thetapand, at some distancetherefrom, .extendsithrough a wall 3 which may bethe Wall of a refrigerating :unit. In the present illustration, the.distance between the wall and thetap would ,be several inches, and theintermediate portionofthe pipe. is enclosed coaxially Within asurrounding drum of two or three inches diameter and comprising twoslightly spaced coaxial cylinders 4 and 5 seated with their inner endsagainst a flanged base plate 6 and with their outer ends seated within aflanged closure plate I which is threaded onto the pipe 2 and clampedthereby against a shoulder 8 on the spigot housing. The opposite ends ofthe cylinders 4 and 5 are sealed by seating against gaskets 9 and IDthat are interposed between the plates 6 and l and the ends of the twocylinders.

Located within the cylinder 5 and surrounding the pipe 2, is a pipe coill2, the ends of which coil are designated at l3 and I4, and are extendedthrough the wall 3 and may then be connected in the circulating systemof the cooling unit for the flow of a refrigerant therethrough.

With the device so constructed, the pipe coil may be kept in arefrigerated condition and the pipe 2 kept cold. Also, the tap will bekept cold by reason of its intimate connection with the pipe 2.

It has been found advantageous, insofar as cooling is concerned, to keepthat portion of the coil I2 that is enclosed in the drum covered withfrost. This may be accomplished by the admittance of air into the drum.This is provided for by the provision of a plurality of ventilatingports 20 in the plates 6 and l as seen best in Fig. 2, and byassociating a damper plate 2| with the inside of the plate 1, providedwith openings 22 adapted to be brought into or out of registration withthe openings 20 by adjustment of the damper. The damper plate isrevolubly fitted about the'pipe 2 and has a stud 25 fixed therein andextending outwardly through an arcuate slot 26 in the plate 1 andequipped at its outer end with a button 28 through the mediacy of whichit may be adjusted between open and closed positions.

There is also provided a drainage tube 30 in the lower side of the drumas seen in Fig. 3, through which condensed moisture may drain from thedrum, and which provides also for the drainage of moisture which wouldbe incident to defrosting the equipment.

With the tap and cooling equipment so constructed it is possible to keepthat portion of the pipe adjacent the tap in a refrigerated condition,

and this, by reason of its close connection with the tap, will keep thelatter in a satisfactorily cool condition so that every drink that isdispensed will be satisfactorily cooled.

It is usual in this arrangement, that the cylinders 4 and 5 be of metal.However, it may be desirable that they be of a transparent material suchas glass or the like, in order that the condition of the coils may beeasily observed.

Cooling equipment of this character may be made in various sizes and. indifierent design without departing from the spirit of the invention, andalso the details of construction of the damper may be varied; it beingthe gist of the invention to provide for satisfactorily cooling thatportion of the connecting pipe which is next adjacent the spigot and tocontrol, to a certain extent, the condition inside the cooling drum bythe regulation of air circulation therein.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is-- l. A dispensing tap having apipe connected thereto and adapted for connection with a source ofsupply of liquid to be dispensed, a cooling drum surrounding the pipeclose to the tap, a cooling coil in the drum about the pipe therein andadapted to be connected with a source of cooling medium for circulationWithin the coil; said drum having means for controlling the circulationof outside air therein.

2. A dispensing tap having a supply pipe adapted for connection with asource of supply of liquid to be dispensed, a cooling drum coaxiallysurrounding the pipe close to the tap, a coil inside the drumsurrounding the pipe and having its ends extended from the drum forconnection with means for a circulation of a refrigerant through thecoil, said drum having air ports therein and a damper plate adjustableto cover or uncover said ports.

3. A dispensing tap having a supply pipe adapted for connection with asource of supply of liquid to be dispensed, a cooling drum coaxiallysurrounding the pipe close to the tap, a coil inside the drumsurrounding the pipe and having its ends extended from the drum forconnection with means for a circulation of a refrigerant through thecoil; said drum having a bottom drainage port and an end wall providedwith a plurality of ports and a damper plate fitted to said end wallwith ports therein, and a stud extended from said plate to the outsideof the drum for adjusting the damper to cover or uncover the drum ports.

THOMAS G. MCCLANAHAN.

